As Pope Francis continued his call to help the poor in a papal document this week, central Ohioans who spend time in the trenches said they are hopeful that his words can cross religious boundaries and encourage people to act.

While churches do a great deal to help end poverty, they could do much more, said Chuck Gehring, president and CEO of LifeCare Alliance, the Midwest’s leading provider of Meals on Wheels. He said he was “thrilled” with the pope’s call for churches to get out and do their work in the community.

“I absolutely believe his words reach beyond just Catholics and do encourage other people to get involved,” said Gehring, a Roman Catholic. “He has the pulpit for the world, to really engage people and get more people to help out. I think Americans will respond.”

The pope released an 84-page “apostolic exhortation” on Tuesday, laying out a blueprint for issues that are likely to define his papacy. Titled Evangelii Gaudium (“The Joy of the Gospel”), it is largely an expansion on some of the topics he has prioritized since becoming pope in March — poverty, inequality, justice and the role of women in the church.

The document represents a “reset button for the church universal,” said the Rev. Tim Ahrens, senior pastor at the Downtown First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ. He said Pope Francis has called Christians to set aside their differences and work together to help those in need.

“When the poor appear at the door of a church, we are being called by the leader of the largest gathering of Christians to see their faces and respond to their needs. We can’t act as if that didn’t happen,” he said. “I think it’s a revolutionary document. We can’t just turn it aside.”

Rabbi Howard Apothaker at Temple Beth Shalom in New Albany said he is most struck by the pope’s statements over the past months about giving churches greater decision-making ability. He said Pope Francis is focused less on faith and practice and more on “acts of faith” — areas in which Jews, Catholics and others agree.

“He’s saying we’re not going to cross swords on doctrines and confessions and rites and sacraments,” Apothaker said. “What he wants to concentrate on is the commonality of the humanity of the faith.

“While we are religionists, what binds us together are our human needs and human suffering and need for comfort. That’s an extremely appealing message to the interfaith work and is a bull’s-eye for the Jewish community.”

Hannah Tyler, a spokeswoman for the Columbus chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, echoed the sentiment that the pope’s push to make churches focus on social-justice issues is conducive to interfaith work.

“He’s trying to get away from some of the issues that can be dividing and focus on the values we all share and the common goals we have,” she said.

The Rev. Rebecca Tollefson, executive director of the Ohio Council of Churches, said she hopes Pope Francis has a profound impact on others with his call for churches to be more missionary and merciful and for church members to get their hands dirty.

“He’s stating really strongly that’s who the church is supposed to be, the church universal,” said Tollefson, with the Presbyterian Church USA. “As a Protestant, I find that is calling us back to who we are supposed to be — the church of Jesus Christ.”